Sparks In The Snow
by Mrs.Mellark101
Summary: District Four's mentor; Ophelia; is much like Haymitch when it comes to drowning her sorrows with alcohol. But she doesn't count on having her ways changed by the dreamy tribute; Harvash. (I suck at summaries)
1. PROLOGUE

Prologue-

I walk towards the window, trailing my hand along the smooth, sterile-white glass. It is warm; unusually. I am used to cold wood, with cockroaches crawling over them - not warm and clean surfaces.

I stare outside the window - or rather I stare _at _it, as it displays a gloriously beautiful lake. If I squint, I can block out the window frame and the surrounding walls. I can imagine I am sitting next to the lake, with my toes skimming the surface. Every so often I will pick up a rock - see how far I throw it, see how big the splash is.

Then I blink and it's ruined. My eyes are wide open for less then a second but that's all it takes.

It snaps me into the harsh reality; the one that would have me die in The Hunger Games.

I wake to my own heavy breathing rattling in my ears. I try wiping the sweat off my forehead but my hands are shaking, so I can barely dab at my face. I throw off the covers and walk to the bathroom. As I enter, the motion sensors snap on the light. I cover my eyes with my hand, then slowly take it away. The light is unbelievably bright, it's as if the sun has decided to spend some time in my bathroom.

After all these years, I am still not used to the Capitol way. I am still not used to the fact that they needlessly slaughter children - and have me mentor them to their deaths.

This year is the best so far - if I am allowed to associate a positive word such as 'best' with these cruel few weeks. Well, my district has the best chance.

I come from District Four, and as a victor (I guess you could say) the Games have never stopped for me. The worst part is when you see the other mentors. Some are wise, some are spiteful, some still can't believe they ever made it past the first day. But all the careers (there are a lot after all the years) are terrible. They hate me, they make fun of me. Just because I won without killing anyone. They were annoyed to begin with that I outsmarted their own districts, and that I didn't join the Careers. But then I won, completely, without a death on my conscience. Of course that's a tragedy of a tale in itself, and one for remembering later...

This year, the two tributes I am to mentor are quite well-built. The boy is tall, muscular whereas the girl looks skilled in a different sort of way. She is tall also, but has a bird-like figure. From what I have seen she is incredibly fast and agile, which will be a big help if she wants to win like I did. But there is a problem, you see. Every year, a mentor chooses one to help - and quietly ignore the other. But I can't decide. My instincts say Harvash; the boy, since he is obviously a strong competitor. But I look at Vinolia; the girl and see underestimation from every on-looker. A skill hard to achieve and extremely useful in The Games.

I stand up, un-steady from free Capitol alcohol. Like a lot of out-lining district mentors with no hope, drink can be comforting. People expect that District Four have chances, but lately Careers have been ganging up on my district, and people are discouraged to volunteer for hopes of winning. They prefer to keep their head down and stay alive.

I shake my head, put down the exotically-coloured drink, and walk out in the direction of my room. The train wobbles, which is unusual, but then I realize it's still my mind. I crash into Vinolia on my way and she shrieks. If I weren't so drunk id roll my eyes. You have to be prepared for more then bumping into someone.

"PhePhe, I think we're about to arrive." She says quietly.

"Call me Ophelia when I'm drunk." I meaninglessly slur, and she frowns. She turns to look outside the window, and surprisingly her expression doesn't change when she gazes upon The Capitol. All she says is;

"I think I'm going to like it here."


	2. WelcomeAgain

Chapter One - Welcome... Again

"Trust me," I say, still slurring, "You're not going to like it as much as you think."

"You need some water. And a shower. And probably some rehabilitation center."

"How do you know about drugs? Not that I take them."

"Just because District Four doesn't have access to Capitol things, doesn't mean it's impossible to get them." she winks and laughs, then runs off to a bigger window. I shake my head and keep on walking in the direction of my room... I hope.

I am woken up by Harvash. He is shaking me, and I look around to realize that I am slumped against my door - with a bottle of something in my hand. He clicks in front of my face, and my mind whirls at the sound that is oddly loud.

"Hey!" He snaps and my cover my ears that ring painfully.

"What do you want?" I snap back.

"You need to help us win this thing. I'm not going to stand for this. For you stumbling about as if you've got nothing to live for."

"Oh, really? What have I got to live for then?"

"Us. Help us win. Then you'll have some of the load taken off you."

"Good deal. Now win." I laugh and take a gulp from the bottle. It fires down me and burns my veins, but it's warmth is better then nothing.

That's when he slaps me.

This time it is Vinolia who wakes me up. She shakes me lighter then Harvash did. She smiles when I wake and she tells me what happened. She says I threw up and she cleaned me up. Then she said that I had to stop drinking all the time and help them out - strategies.

"I can't help Harvash, I'm not the confront, fight and kill type. I was you." I sometimes forget that I am not that much older then them. Harvash is eighteen, Vinolia is seventeen. I was in the games when I was fifteen, but I am now twenty. The Capitol seemed to ignore that I was drinking a full three years before I was allowed. It helped me forget.

"Look, we have to leave now. We're at The Capitol, you were out for quite a while. Let me help you. When we next stop we can all have a sit down. You, me, Harvash and Meni." Meni is the escort. He has annoyed me ever since I was twelve. He acts as if The Games are a treat, and we; the peasants of this world; are lucky to have a chance to go in them.

We step off the train, and I don't remember much after that. My head still is banging away after all the alcohol. The next thing I know is I'm in an elevator. I suspect it was Harvash who propped me up against the wall. I lean in an uncomfortable way, but I'm too tired to move properly. They are all quiet, and I am glad that it is a short ride to Floor 4. Once we step out I swagger off to the nearest sofa, but Harvash and Vinolia gasp and explore the whole place. Dinner is ready on the table and I start without them. Meni comes and sits opposite me. He eyes the food for a while, then when he is sure they won't be coming for a while, he begins to eat.

"The food isn't as good as usual. They think because the children are not from the Capitol they won't expect the height of grandeur." His voice irritates me.

"We don't get dessert. District 12 do." I half mumble, half growl.

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**Thank you for everyone reading/following etc.!**

**I'm thinking of co-writing a fic and if anyone wants to I'm happy for them to help me! If you follow me as a writer then you'll know I write a range of fandoms, and I'm open to quite a lot of them! PM or review if you're interested! :)**

**~Angeline**


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